Rob sorry for the late reply...

Posted By: Jerry Carpenter C-26 # 147
Date: 5/4/09 7:04a.m.

Report: outside forum guidelines

In Response To: Thanks to everyone for the reviews (Rob M, P-21, Minuet building.)

I was outside all weekend working on the new boat house for the commander. I own 6 routers and all of them are for differant applications. Everything from a small one hand laminate trimmer (Porter Cable) which also works great for other small projects like putting a radius on the edge of a piece of wood to a large 3-1/2 HP table mounted multi-speed unit for my router table. As George mentioned multiple speeds for a table mounted unit is essential. I own 4 differant brands which are Porter Cable, Dewalt, Milwaukee, and Hitachi. I think before you buy a router you have to define what you are going to use it for. I can't tell you how often I reach for my little Porter Cable laminte trimmer. There seems to be a hundred uses for it. But that router will not do a large portion of the work you want a router to do. When I'm in the market for a new tool the first thing I do is read any reviews I can find associated with the tool I'm interested in. Router reviews are common because it is such a versatile tool. The link below takes you to Wood magazine list of reviews you can either read for free or pay a small charge (4.95) to download. If you are a subcriber to any wood related magazines check their website for anything you can see for free first. http://www.woodmagazine.com/woodworking-tools/reviews/routers-router-accessories/buying-a-router/ If you are looking for one router to do a wide range of things, look hard at the multi base units. They have both a fixed base and a plunge base with one motor that goes between them. They are often the most versatile routers and many times will also come with multi speed versions that can be used in a table. The one I own is a Porter Cable and not because it is the best but because I have a repare place for Porter Cable close by which is another consideration by the way. As far as brands go, I think Craftsman a long time ago built a great product and then for many years they cheepend up the entire line and turned them into juck. I think they are improving again because they finally figured out people don't want to buy junk. They are not my favorite brand even now though. Some of the brands I would not hesitate to buy when it comes to routers are Bosch, Dewalt, Porter Cable. Hope this helps some Rob.